Musings
by SigMcMuffin
Summary: Balthier's thoughts on his traveling party.


This started as an idea while in the middle of replaying FFXII. I think I'll do something like this from each of the main groups perspectives, but I started with Balthier because his voice and personality are the easiest to get into my head. There are no real pairings. But for whatever reason I really lean towards BalthierxPenelo. Which makes no sense generally speaking as she's pretty much useless throughout most of the game and has almost no story depth. But whatevs.

Disclaimer: If it belonged to me…oh the joy I would have. *eyes Balthier*

Vaan:

On more than one occasion Balthier found himself glaring through half-lidded eyes at the young man many assumed had become his apprentice. Somehow all of his current woes could be traced to the Rabanastran youth, and the Archadian pirate wasn't sure he was willing to forgive him for it. What had started as a simple enough heist had gone horribly, and inconveniently, wrong. It had been simple. He and Fran would use the new Consul's celebratory feast to sneak into the royal palace and help themselves to some of what the former ruling family had had to offer. Nothing that would be missed by the Archadians currently ensconced in the Dalmascan palace. But then the street thief _Vaan_ had gotten there a hair before them and refused to the do the right thing and _listen_ to his elders by handing over the _blasted_ treasure. From that point on everything got worse and somehow or another Balthier and his partner Fran had gotten themselves so tied up in the bloody war that keeping up appearances and maintaining the lavish lifestyle he was used to was becoming nigh on impossible. Not that Balthier was bitter. Nope. Not one whit. With a final glare at Vaan's back the sky pirate hoisted his rifle and continued trudging through the muck and mire that was the Giza Plains during the rainy season.

Ashe:

"What's your name?"

"…Amalia."

Balthier smirked on the inside. _Amalia indeed. Unless my memory is paying me a great disservice, I daresay you're the, long thought dead, Princess Ashelia of Dalmasca. Or else she had a bloody twin I'm not aware of._

Oh, he knew well enough who she was…even if she didn't know who he was. When they had first met, he was covered head to toe in armor and was on duty as a judge, escorting Emperor Solidor to a summit meeting between the countries of Ivalice. He had been all of sixteen and she had been a bare slip of a girl at thirteen, following her father and learning what she could of the politics surrounding her life and that of her kingdom. Of course he had gone by a different name then, a name he ran away from and wished to forget. Who was he to judge her new name? But, and unless he was severely mistaken (and really, the leading man is never wrong) things were about to get very, VERY interesting in Ivalice.

Penelo:

Innocence personified. That's what the girl was. Sunshine. Daisies. Bloody cute kittens, with their bloody cute eyes. That was what Balthier first compared this orphaned girl too whenever he thought of her. Then, in their battles, he learned to associate other words for her. Compassionate, brave, graceful, and a damn sight smarter than the friend she desperately sought to keep out of too much trouble. This supporting character to the leading man's play had somehow wound her way into this hodgepodge group's hearts and he wasn't entirely sure how she had managed it. Somehow or another even the leading man felt more inclined to spend time with her than the one who would be playing the part of the leading lady. Penelo was a truly remarkable young lady and for a brief moment the dashing sky pirate considered whisking her away from all the troubles, if only to secure her innocence and to keep her this way forever. There was a shortage of truly kind people in the world.

"Penelo! Just how old do you think Fran is?" the young blonde had asked again.

"Vaan, I swear to all that is holy…"

"But…" The boy got no further as Penelo quickly laid a silence spell upon her friend, casting nervous glances to the group ahead of her, praying they didn't hear Vaan's idiocy.

A DAMN sight smarter than Vaan.

Basch:

His first thought had been that the leading man, was indeed, always right. This had been quickly followed by this second thought that he sometimes hated being the leading man and thus, always right. Being right had a way of leading to troublesome affairs sometimes. Intrigues that the pirate would rather keep himself and Fran out of.

Once they (the pirates, the thief, and the Kingslayer who wasn't a Kingslayer) had escaped Nalbina and her treacherous dungeon and gone tearing off to Bhujerba to save the girl (it was the leading man's duty after all) Balthier had time to fully wrap his mind around the stoic soldier that was the Captain Basch Fon Rosenburg. What he discovered was that he was a man who lived solely in the past, and apparently gave little thought to the future other than redeeming himself to a Princess and country that hated him while protecting same princess and ensuring that she reached her ultimate goal of a freed Dalmasca. Balthier admired the man, if only a little and never voicing this thought aloud, for he didn't run away and would not run away.

"I do NOT require _your_ assistance traitor." If looks could kill, the Knight of Dalmasca everyone thought was dead would have dropped dead into the Sandsea from the glare he was receiving from her Royal Uppityness. And for that, Balthier did not envy him.

Fran:

"…You know what they say about the leading man? He never dies." With a last push of the cylinder Balthier fixed the mechanics for the _Bahamut's_ glossair rings. "Fran! Power to the glossair rings!" When his Viera partner hadn't responded he quickly looked towards where he expected to be, and instead found her partially fallen under debris. With an inaudible curse he picked his way across the destroyed engine room and quickly cleared the debris from the one person who had been by his side these last few years. If anything happened to her, he would blame himself for it was his idea to continue on this adventure to "see how things turned out" and to reap the benefits of any possible treasure.

"I'd say you're in more of a supporting role," the Viera managed to get out quietly as he steadily pick her up.

The one person who had been with him all these years and, even near her possible death, had no problems putting him in his place.

"Fran…please."


End file.
